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Concept of the 108 Stars of Destiny
Typically VIP Passes are sold at fan conventions. In the first couple years of EXP Con, people have been able to purchase these VIP passes either for the current year or as a Lifetime member. These people are one of the reasons we have been able to grow as fast as we have and bring attendees things they haven't seen anywhere else. This concept of people coming together in support of a goal reminded me of my time playing the games in Konami's Suikoden series. Upon further research I found out: The 108 Stars of Destiny (天導一百零八星) are at the core of the plot of the Chinese classic Shui Hu Zhuan (水滸傳), commonly translated as Water Margin, Outlaws of the Marsh, or All Men Are Brothers, edited by Shi Nai'an and Luo Guanzhong during the 13th century and 14th century. Suikoden (水滸伝) is a Japanese translation for Shui Hu Zhuan which has been made into a series of role-playing games. The 108 Stars of Destiny are based on the Daoist concept that each person's destiny is tied to a Star of Destiny, and the 108 Stars of Destiny are stars that represent 108 demonic overlords who have been banished by the Daoist sage, Shang Ti. Having repented since their banishment, the stars are released from their place of banishment by accident, and are reborn in the world as 108 heroes who band together for the cause of justice. The 108 Stars of Destiny are translated into the 36 Stars of Heaven and the 72 Stars of Earth. Other titles for the Stars of Destiny include The 108 Stars of Heavenly Earth and The 108 Stars of Heaven and Earth. I got that information from Wikipedia and stuff. Pretty cool huh? I thought so too. Now that the introduction of the concept is out of the way, I will let you guys know how this relates to EXP Con. Basically all people who purchase either a VIP Pass this year or a Lifetime VIP Pass are given the opportunity to join EXP Con's own 108 Star of Destiny. If you are a Lifetime VIP you are given the opportunity to keep your star until the end of time, whereas single year VIP Pass purchasers have to purchase and reclaim their star every year if they want it again. Members should send in pictures of themselves to go onto the star wall on the site and the convention guide booklet. Member who have their star already and haven't sent in a picture are represented by an EXP Con player symbol and available stars are noted with question marks. This year the 108 Stars of Destiny will be receiving personalized items at the convention. Also, it is worth noting that some of the star names may repeat, kind of. Also, some of the stars are kind of lame sounding, but I assure you in the Suikoden games and in the Chinese classic they are all important and don't always reflect the name. Links are provided to get more information on the stars so you can better make your decision. Contact Ryan_Sweat@expcon.org if you have any questions regarding the Stars. Wikipedia link for information on the 108 Stars here. Suikosource (best Suikoden game site) link for information on the 108 Stars here. 108 Stars have been updated as of September 10, 2011. 
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